[...]
Always, you are twinned:
one side a mirror, the other
a window—you have already
changed the sky. Girls are
stripping the petals, dusting
their mouths with sugar
& smashed pecans.
When you spin
in your white dress,
greet the crowd with your
stained mouth. A dove
& an elephant, they
murmur, but you're
rewriting the song
into a jungle. Bring out
the longest rope & tie it
to him—say I will look at you
until the blood runs out.
This is when shadows
start & you will walk him
back to the banquet,
knowing that what is white
is not innocent, nor safe.
Shelley Wong, from “Epithalamium (to Frida Kahlo),” As She Appears (YesYes Books, 2022)
I would know him in death, at the end of the world.
Eden Robinson Writing Prompts for the Broken-hearted / Jesse Burton The Miniaturist / Ron Hicks Stendhal Syndrome / Trista Mateer / Louise Glück Epithalamium from "Descending Figure" / Ron Hicks Warmth of the Sun / Mitski I Will / unknown / Ron Hicks The Embrace / unknown
i. Eden Robinson Writing Prompts for the Broken-hearted [ "You can put your strength down. I'm sitting here with you at your kitchen table. You don't need to say anything. ]
ii. Jesse Burton The Miniaturist [ You are sunlight though a window, which I stand in, warmed. ]
iii. Ron Hicks Stendhal Syndrome [ A woman lovingly looks down at a man who's laying on her lap. They sit on a sill together. The woman is wearing a white dress and has a red jacket draped over her crossed legs. The man wears a business suit and has one foot over his knee. ]
iv. Trista Mateer [ "In this space right here that we have made for each other, you can say anything and I will not abandon you. Unwrap the worst things you have done. Watch me hold them up to the light and not even flinch." ]
v. Louise Gluck Epithalamium [ "'Here is my hand,' he said. 'Here is my hand that will not harm you.'" ]
vi. Ron Hicks Warmth of the Sun [ A man and a woman lay in a field. The woman wears a white dress. The man has a white shirt and tan pants. The man leans over the woman's stomach, resting his head on his arm. They hold hands over her body. They look at each other lovingly. ]
vii. Mitski I Will [ I will wash your hair at night / And dry it off with care / I will see your body bare / And still I will live here ]
viii. [ A man and a woman sit in a field. They both wear dark clothing. The man's face is not visible. The woman looks over her shoulder towards the audience. ]
ix. Ron Hicks The Embrace [ A man and a woman kiss in front of a balcony. They both wear dark clothing. They cling to each other's bodies. Behind them, two birds press their beaks together. ]
x. [ "it gets better, i think. maybe just for a day. maybe just for a song. but there's something there to hold on to. ]
